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Social health insurance: The major driver of unsustainable fiscal policy?

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  • Hagist, Christian
  • Klusen, Norbert
  • Plate, Andreas
  • Raffelhüschen, Bernd

Abstract

During the next decades the populations of most developed countries will grow older as a result of the low level of birth rates since the 1970s and/or the continuously increasing life expectancy. We show within a Generational Accounting framework how unsustainable the public finances of France, Germany, Switzerland and the U.S. are, given their demographic developments. Thereby, our focus lies on social health insurance systems which are in addition affected by the medical-technical progress. Due to the cost-increasing effect of the medical-technical progress one can justifiably say that social health insurance schemes are the major drivers behind unsustainable fiscal policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Hagist, Christian & Klusen, Norbert & Plate, Andreas & Raffelhüschen, Bernd, 2005. "Social health insurance: The major driver of unsustainable fiscal policy?," FZG Discussion Papers 1, University of Freiburg, Research Center for Generational Contracts (FZG).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:fzgdps:1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Häcker, Jasmin & Raffelhüschen, Bernd, 2005. "Internal rates of return of the German statutory long-term care insurance," FZG Discussion Papers 5, University of Freiburg, Research Center for Generational Contracts (FZG).
    2. Kai Konrad & Stergios Skaperdas, 2012. "The market for protection and the origin of the state," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 50(2), pages 417-443, June.
    3. Friedrich Breyer & Normann Lorenz & Thomas Niebel, 2015. "Health care expenditures and longevity: is there a Eubie Blake effect?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 16(1), pages 95-112, January.
    4. Robert Stelter, 2016. "Fertility and health insurance types in Germany," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2016021, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    5. Bernd Raffelhüschen, 2008. "Gesundheitsreformen: und kein Ende in Sicht!," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 77(1), pages 108-116.
    6. Stefan Moog & Bernd Raffelhüschen, 2010. "Herausforderungen der Legislaturperiode für die Tragfähigkeit der Renten- und Pflegeversicherung," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 79(1), pages 27-43.
    7. André Decoster & Xavier Flawinne & Pieter Vanleenhove, 2014. "Generational accounts for Belgium: fiscal sustainability at a glance," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 663-686, November.
    8. Viktor von Wyl & Konstantin Beck, 2014. "Risk adjustment in aging societies," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 1-14, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets

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